GALES OF AEOLIS - Fairy Crafters of Hyrule
by Aeolis Crafter
Summary: In which Aeolis crafts the Fairy Boomerang.
1. Chapter 1

The land of Hyrule. A land filled with curses, yet blessed with victories. A land filled to overflowing with beauty, terror, wonder, grace, strength, tears, laughter, hope, and possibilities. A land guided by power, wisdom, and courage.

A land ever-changing, yet never broken.

At the beginning of time, the three Goddesses left behind the Triforce - the symbol of the Golden Power which they used to create this world, the symbol of harmony. Yet ever afterward evil forces have sought to destroy that harmony and corrupt this world. Because of this the three Goddesses placed a spell over the entire world - in order to confound the forces of darkness, the land transforms constantly, as do its people. Yet even with every transformation, there remain constants which guide the land's champion, the Hero of Time, toward victory in slaying that chaotic evil which grips this world. In most incarnations of the land of Hyrule there have always been certain landmarks, still well-supplied with their original magics; certain people, still well-endowed with ancient wisdom; and certain artifacts, still well-crafted with clever powers.

These special artifacts are hand forged and enchanted by the Fairy Crafters of Hyrule. I am one such Fairy Crafter.

 _MY NAME IS AEOLIS._

* * *

PART I

* * *

Old Titania tossed several rupees through the air. They sailed over the fence posts and landed in the grassy field beyond. "Now!" she shouted.

I leaped, wings open wide to catch a small updraft, and landed on top of one of the posts. As soon as my bare toes touched wood, I stretched out my hand to catch a little bit of the wind, feeling it coil warmly into my fingertips. Many colorful gem-like coins hid between blades of grass, and only the glimmer of late evening sunlight made them visible to my eyes.

 _Don't think on it too hard,_ I warned myself. _You can still do this._

My restless eyes quickly scanned the ground, and I estimated around ten or so rupees lay in the field. I squinted and singled out the rupee toward the far right end, then zeroed in on the one to the far left, and finally I released the gale which I had been allowing to build within my hand. With a whistle it swirled and danced to the right, then quickly swept leftward across the field. As it did, many rupees lifted into the air, swirling and tumbling around one another until the gust flew back toward me, dropping the rupees into my fingers. I counted them all and held them out for Old Titania to inspect.

She nodded, but I could sense some hesitation in her eyes. I looked down at the handful of gems, then out toward the field. Finding nothing, I returned my gaze to my elder, who smiled solemnly.

"There were twelve," she said in a soft voice, almost a whisper. "You have eleven." She stretched out a slender finger and pointed at a spot very close to the fence.

I squinted, suddenly seeing the glint of the sun reflected off it. Right there under my nose. Dismayed, I lowered my gaze to the bare patch of dirt at my feet.

Titania gathered the rupees from my hands. I lifted my eyes to study her face. Pale as the dust of the moon, her skin showed few creases, save for some around her always-smiling eyes and the thin lines downward along her cheeks. Her soft orange hair was radiant in the dimming light. No fairy was as old as Titania, and I was hard-pressed to believe any being across the wide world was older than she. Yet in the entire time I had known her, she had never changed- never had a new wrinkle appeared in her skin, never had a strand of hair turned silver. Anyone who didn't know better would have assumed I was the elder.

"Aeolis." That ever-soft voice returned me to reality. She gave a thin, tight-lipped smile. "It is time."

I was stunned into silence momentarily. "But... but what about...?" I began to lift a hand to my face, but she caught it gently by the fingertips and pulled it away.

"All the more reason for you to begin." Her smile was smaller now. "You are more than capable, Aeolis. I believe you are right for this job."

She squeezed my fingers, and the breath caught in my chest. My heart felt as though it were suspended in thin air.

A Fairy Crafter. I was finally going to become a Fairy Crafter!

The honor was great, the weight terrible. For the first time since I had begun to dream of becoming a Fairy Crafter I felt two sides of myself at war with each other.

I opened my mouth to object. I was not ready. I was not strong enough. I wanted to stay here in my little village, stay in my little tree by my little pond. Here, where everything was green and smelled fresh and familiar. Tears threatened to spill over, and I shuddered. "I- I can't-"

"You know you don't have to." Titania turned away from me to watch the final remnant of the sun as it settled low behind the distant trees. "It is your decision."

I kept my gaze on her skirt as I struggled to speak. Long ago it was a pure, gentle sky blue. Now, it was almost the washed out shade of melting snow.

I didn't want to disappoint her. And as sure as I could feel the cooling breeze that drifted past me, I could feel that she didn't want me to disappoint myself. All excuses died on my lips, and I finally gave a faint nod. "I'm ready, Mistress."

Old Titania briefly placed her hand on my shoulder, signalling me to follow as she walked with long, slow strides. I walked closely behind, and as we reached the great weeping willow tree which grew by the lake, I felt the warm trickle of tears flowing freely down my cheeks.

* * *

After my dedication ceremony was complete, my youngest granddaughter Constance flung her arms around me in the biggest hug I had ever had in my life, and I did not want her to let go.

"Grandma, I'm going to miss you." I could hear the restrained tears in her voice.

"I'll miss you too, Constance," I replied, and I knew she heard mine.

We released each other and watched the sky for several long, silent moments. Stars glittered above, but there was no moon. Oh, how I wished I could see the moon that night!

Constance let her hand roam down the swell of her belly. I placed my hand next to hers and smiled at a faint nudge from within. "Have you decided on a name yet?"

She nodded, smiling at me with twinkling eyes. The hair that fell over her left eye was a shade of blue-grey that was nearly impossible for me to distinguish from the shadows beneath the willow, or even the sky. "We're going to name her Aeolis." I bit my lip and swallowed. "I wish you could have at least waited long enough to meet her first," she continued in a low voice. "This was just so... sudden."

"I know." I looked up at the stars again and sighed. "But it's now or never."

"I know you don't like company when you travel, but I would go with you if I could." Her hand continued to glide over her belly.

I laughed. "I could never resent _your_ company, you know." I patted her belly and withdrew my hand.

Constance turned her head, and a second later a figure materialized just behind the torch light from that direction so suddenly that I gasped, recoiling slightly.

"It's just me," the figure said, holding out a pair of open hands. "It's Sten."

I let my breath out again and relaxed as he walked farther into my view, his tunic flickering pale orange in the torch light.

"I hear you've been accepted as a Fairy Crafter," he said, smiling at me. "I just got here, so I missed the ceremony. Who did you choose to go with you?"

I shook my head. "I'm going alone."

Sten raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure about that?" I nodded. "Well, alright then. I wish you safe passage." He took my hand and shook it briefly. "Where will you be going?"

"The Forest Temple in Faron Province."

"And your artifact?"

"Um..." I licked my lips.

"Not decided, huh?" Sten clapped a hand against my shoulder. "It'll come to you." He glanced over at Constance, then me again. "So... you've said your goodbyes to everyone already?"

"I have." I fidgeted with my skirt. "I'll be leaving shortly. Didn't want to wait for sunrise."

"I'll miss you." Suddenly, Sten's face broke into a mischievous grin. "Especially during banquets. You always made the best blackberry pies." He laughed. "And I'll think of you every time I hear those wind chimes."

"I'm going to miss you too, Sten." We shook hands again. As I turned to Constance to try to give her another hug, he took my shoulder and pulled me away, turning me to face him again.

"Just a moment," he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a knife and held it out for me. "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this."

I took the knife and snickered. "My new companion? Is it a good conversationalist?"

"You know what I mean."

I held the knife up to the light. It was set with a jade cabochon jewel, and the Hylian crest was imprinted on its leather sheath. "But isn't this your favorite-"

He waved the rest of my words off. "Ah, don't worry about it. You're worth it. I can make another one."

I smiled and clasped it close against my chest. "Thank you."

Constance held a hand over her mouth. "Oh- I didn't even think of a parting gift."

"It's alright," I replied, setting my hand gently over her belly. "You already gave me the best one." I smiled at her warmly, then tucked the knife into my pocket. "I'm going now, before anyone notices." I tilted my head toward the pond on the far side of the willow where all the other fairies were gathered. "And just so you know-" I directed my gaze at Sten- "there _might_ be one or two blackberry pies left, waiting for you that way. They might even still be warm, if you're fast enough."

"Oo!" Sten clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Don't mind if I do." He waved and walked around to the other side of the tree.

Constance and I looked at each other silently for what felt like hours before I embraced her one final time, then stepped away. "Think of me."

"I will, Grandma." Her tears were choking her voice again.

I jumped into the air and flew off. A small gust of wind trailed after me, and I could faintly hear the tinkle of wind chimes in one of the branches. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Old Titania step around the willow tree, and she waved at me. I waved back, turned my head, and blinked my tears away.

It wasn't long before I arrived at a large pool surrounded by smooth pale rocks. In the center stood an ancient marble statue of a fairy- our first queen- on a pedestal, flawlessly preserved, with not a single scratch or smudge to reveal its age, but for the date of her reign etched along the bottom beneath the symbol of the Triforce. The Fountain of Alarica connected the Fairy Forest to the land of Hyrule, its water providing a portal for any fairy to pass through. As I landed on one of the rocks, a light danced into my vision, disappeared momentarily, then was joined by another, and another. I watched the lights of the fireflies reflected on the still water, my body trembling as I steadied my breathing. One of them ventured toward me, and I heard its wings beating as it passed by.

"Oh, don't fly so close to me," I begged in a whisper.

I took a breath, closed my eyes, held my arms out at my sides, and fell forward into the fountain. I resurfaced in a fountain in a cave near Hyrule Castle, and I never saw the Fairy Forest again.


	2. Chapter 2

PART II

Daybreak was harsh on my eyes, so I nestled into a knothole in an oak tree on a ledge overlooking the castle from western Hyrule Field. I had flown over most of Lanayru Province as far as my wings could take me, and now I needed to catch my breath. In fact, I decided, I should probably get some sleep. Since I wasn't used to staying up through the night, and especially since I had spent half of it in flight, the nervous energy from before the ceremony had worn off and I was feeling drowsy. I stretched my arms, my legs, my wings, and then lay back against a pile of leaves I had pulled in to make a bed and began to process the events of the night until I could fall asleep. It was my first time within the physical boundaries of Hyrule, and the scale of everything I encountered had been dizzying. Fairies with the right kind of specialized magic could cross into Hyrule at any size they desired, but the rest of us were tiny in comparison to Hylians and most other citizens. The Fairy Fountain where I had arrived was in a cave at the top of a mountain, and when I looked over the edge I couldn't find the ground. For the first time in my life I had considered developing a fear of heights, but I forced myself to remain calm as I glided downward until the treetops came quickly and reassuringly into view. Here and there I spotted people traveling along the main road by horse and carriage, and even without flying close to them I knew I would barely stand up to their ankles had I landed. Except for those few souls, and some winged creatures in the distance which I couldn't identify, the land seemed bereft of any life. Summer though it was, there was a chill in the air which made me uncomfortable, and I wondered at the courage of those Hylians who dared travel in such an environment. I wished I could have explored Hyrule Castle after everything I'd heard about it since I was young, but I feared I wouldn't have enough time. Here in my knothole, though, I had a good view of the castle off to my left, and the walled city spreading out in front of me and crawling to the right-- except for a portion directly to the east where a branch just beneath the knothole eclipsed it and the sun in a nearly straight line, its leaves fanning out mercifully above the horizon. It would be several hours before the sun rose high enough to cast its rays into the knothole, at which time I planned to wake, eat, and begin traveling again. I closed my eyes, and I probably fell asleep, but I don't remember it because my (attempt to) sleep was interrupted first by intermittent scratching noises against the tree, and later the gruff caws of crows echoing outside close by. I tried to ignore them, but more voices joined in until I gave up. I sat up and looked outside. I'm not sure if "crow" is exactly the right word for them, but they were giant black birds nonetheless, and they didn't look friendly at all. There were at least a dozen of them circling above the tree I was in. More scratching noises against the trunk echoed around me through the knothole. With a groan, I leaned forward and poked my head out just in time to hear the scratching stop, and with the angry beating of wings a shadow passed over me as another black bird darted into my view from directly above me. Before I could react it swooped down fast, lifting its talons toward me. I gasped and threw myself backward into the tree. The creature's talons missed me by a mere inch, scraping bark off the rim of the knothole, then disappeared. "Wha... What are you doing?" I cried out in desperation. "What do you want?" "Despicable creature of light!" one of them called out. "You trespass onto our property! You filthy vermin!" "Oh, I-- I'm sorry," I stammered, leaning carefully outside again. "I didn't know. I was just stopping to rest from--" "You glow gold like the Spirits, enemy of Master Zant!" another bird yelled. "Master who?" Once again, a set of talons clawed at me from my blind spot, this time snatching my arm and yanking me out. I screamed, flapping my wings as hard and fast as I could in an effort to get free. "Let me go!" "The Lights of the Spirits will be extinguished." Wings flapped angrily from all directions, and I felt myself being pulled higher and higher into the air. I had no idea where they were taking me, what they were planning to do to me. Their talk of Master Zant and the Lights of the Spirits had me mystified. My exhaustion was barely countered by a rush of nerves, I was spinning in the air where I dangled from the grip of claws, and I was disoriented, making it difficult to think clearly. I wasn't strong enough to wrench my arm away. What could I do to free myself? Suddenly Sten's face appeared in my mind, and I remembered the knife he gave me. I reached awkwardly around my hip from the opposite side and pulled it from my pocket, shoving the sheath off with my thumb. I was lucky I didn't cut myself with all the jostling and swinging when I did. I swung blindly, felt the blade strike, felt something warm like electricity flowing around my hand and discharging, heard a crack, and with a shriek the crow released its grip on me, sending me tumbling down through the air. I summoned a gust of wind to catch me and help right myself, and something dark plummeted past me. I watched as the thing struck the ground hard, shattered, and scattered. I hovered in the air, staring downward in confusion, and felt the crows doing the same. All minds had to take a few moments to process what had happened, to take in the view of the scattered dust and chunks of rock, to mentally retrace its motion back up where it had fallen past me, up into the air where the crow which had snatched me had been when I struck it with-- The knife! In a single motion all heads turned, all eyes bored into me, and as one we all knew the answer. Sten's knife had turned the creature into stone. That same realization which filled me with a new sense of confidence filled the crows with fear, but in their eyes I could see it had also fueled them with rage and determination, and they still outnumbered me. We were at a momentary impasse, the ugly black birds circling slowly around me, not yet willing to make a move, but not willing to let me escape in one piece either. I passed the knife over to my dominant hand. This the crows took as the signal to attack, and they quickly converged on me. I dived downward followed by a small burst of wind which sent most of them scattering, momentarily disoriented. When I flew back around and upward, two of them charged me from opposite directions. I swung my hand in an arc to hit the first crow on its bulging, crooked beak, and it dropped like a literal stone. I continued the arc, but the second crow dodged it just in time. Just beneath my feet another crow flapped its wings hard in what I guessed was an attempt to trip me and knock me out of the air, but I was too fast for it. I somersaulted forward and slashed at the tips of its feathers, and down it went. When I was upright again, I found a set of talons stretched out toward me, which I struck with my knife so that crow could join its brothers and sisters on the gravel covered ground. Before any more of them could attack, I held out my other hand and threw a gust of wind at them, sending them spiraling hopelessly in midair. After the wind died down, I hovered in a standing straight position, held the knife above my head warningly and yelled, "How many more of you want to die today?" The birds were silent as they regained flight, circling once again but this time remaining away from me. I heard their deep, scratchy voices whispering to one another, the mutterings of their Master Zant's command to eliminate the Lights of the Spirits, breaking off occasionally to glance downward at the mess of the broken stone bodies of their comrades. Then finally, one by one, each cast a final glare at me and flew away. I heaved a sigh, landed on the ground, and bent over to rest my hands against my knees while I caught my breath. "Sten, you magnificent genius," I breathed, admiring the knife in my hand. "Thank you." The knife went back into its sheath at my side, and I and vowed to never unsheathe it with only my thumb ever again. I wearily brushed my hair out of my face, and as soon as I was standing straight again, the whole world disappeared into blackness with the sudden sound of a thump.


End file.
